WOLFF ON COMPOSITION

Ernesto Livon Grosman • Surynorth Productions

77 min, 2021

This rare document of composer Christian Wolff (b. 1934) — a key figure in the history of American experimental music — traverses the compositional terrain of the youngest member of the New York School, who brought the I Ching to Cage and went on to develop his own radical take on indeterminacy in music.

The film is a contemplative, articulate exploration of the philosophy and politics embedded within Wolff's compositions, illustrated by his beautiful — and often intentionally cryptic — scores, whose interpretation ensures a collaboration between composer, performer, and listener. Featuring interviews with Wolff alongside fellow experimental musicians and composers Michael Pisaro, Nicolas Collins, Michael Parsons, Robyn Schulkowsky, Amy Beal, and Larry Polansky, the film attentively conspires with Wolff's synergistic, variable art, and the landscapes that shape the film's spacious cinematography.